A mysterious glowing spiral seen drifting across the night sky on Monday evening has been attributed to a recent SpaceX rocket launch in the United States, according to experts.
The large, cloud-like swirl was spotted by skywatchers across the UK and parts of Europe at around 8pm GMT. Astronomers and the Met Office believe it was caused by frozen rocket fuel ejected high in the Earth’s atmosphere following the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida.
The striking formation, which appeared to spin slowly as it travelled, lingered for several minutes before fading from view. The Falcon 9 rocket, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, had lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at around 5:50pm GMT (12:50pm local time) on a classified mission for the US National Reconnaissance Office.
The phenomenon is thought to occur when the rocket’s second stage releases leftover fuel after deploying its payload in orbit. At high altitudes, the fuel rapidly freezes, and the spiralling motion of the rocket causes the frozen plume to form a luminous spiral shape. Sunlight then reflects off the icy particles, making the spectacle visible from the ground.
Astronomer Allan Trow confirmed he had seen the spiral above the Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly Brecon Beacons) national park in Wales. “These are pretty rare, but I’ve seen a similar event about four years ago,” he said, noting the Falcon 9 was the likely source of the sighting.
Across the country, startled observers shared their experiences. Sonia, an amateur stargazer from Tottington, said she was already out with her telescope when she spotted what looked like “a swirling galaxy moving across the sky”.
That didn’t stop Rochdale locals from enjoying the rare spectacle. One resident in Wardle described as "a huge Catherine wheel which appeared to have its own atmosphere”
Another joked: “So it turns out the sky’s making these because of Elon Musk. That man really is everywhere.”
SpaceX later confirmed on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the launch had indeed taken place as part of a classified US government mission.
Though the spiral stirred the imaginations of many onlookers, experts reassured the public that the event was a well-documented and harmless by-product of modern spaceflight. Such sights, while uncommon, are likely to become more frequent in the modern space age.
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